Amusement device



1961 A. GIULIANO 2,996,833

AMUSEMENT DEVICE Filed Dec. 2, 1959 46 2740 I l I I I -l2 Z0-- I I I2 Il I I I I 1 -14 a I l I 1 INVENTOR: ANqELo qnuuANo,

ZM/Z M,

HIS ATTORNEY.

United States Patent 2,996,838 AMUSEMENT DEVICE Angelo Ginliano, 754Mace Ave, Bronx, NY. Filed Dec. 2, 1959, Ser. No. 856,820 2 Claims. (CI.46-22) The invention relates to amusement devices, and relates moreparticularly to musical amusement devices.

It is among the principal objects of the invention to provide anamusement device which includes a support on which there is placed aknock-down figure in assembled state that may be displaced off thesupport by an actuator, to crash to the ground. I prefer to use as thefigure a knock-down egg, of the type known as Humpty Dumpty, though theinvention is not limited thereto.

It is another object of the invention to provide with the actuator of myamusement device means to produce a sound sequence, such as a tune, sothat the actuator will displace the figure off the support at a certainpoint in the sequence.

With the above and other objects of the invention in view, the inventionconsists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination ofvarious devices, elements and parts, as set forth in the claims hereof,one embodiment of the same being illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings and described in the specification.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will be best understoodfrom the following description of an exemplification thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a. perspective view of a preferred embodiment of theinvention, shown in an assembled position wherein the figure rests onthe support;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, similar to FIG. 2, but showingthe figure ready to be tossed off the support; and

FIG. 5 is an extended view of the figure in a knockeddown state.

In carrying the invention into effect in the single embodiment which hasbeen selected for illustration in the accompanying drawings and fordescription in this specification, and referring now particularly toFIG. 1, a knock-down figure, such as a Humpty Dumpty egg is displayed ona support 12 such as a wall 14 that has a base 16. The figure need notbe a Humpty Dumpty egg but may instead be any suitable knock-down toythat may easily be put together again.

Referring to FIG. 2, the embodiment of my invention shows, within thesupport 12, an actuating means such as an endless movable belt 18 onwhich there is supported an enlarged finger 20 that is capable to engagemomentarily a tiltable two-armed lever 22, and a hand crank 24 that maybe driven by a child to move the belt. The actuating means need not be ahand operated belt, but may instead be a suitable power-drivenmechanism.

The belt 18 is suspended over a pair of pulleys 26 and 28, traveling inthe direction as shown by an arrow 30, when the hand crank 24 isrotated. The pulleys 26 and 28 are supported on shafts 32 and 34, whichin turn are supported by the support 12. The hand crank 24 is alsoaxially supported by the support 12.

The belt 18 includes on its outside surface a series of fingers 36. Thefingers 36 engage a series of tuned tongues 38 which are mounted on theinternal surface of the support 12 to produce a sequence of signals orsounds, for example the nursery tune Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall Thebelt 18, the series of fingers ice 36 and the tuned tongues 38 togetherform means operable to produce the sequence of signals or sounds.

The enlarged finger 20 which is located on the surface of the belt 18during each complete cycle of the belt 18 once makes contact with onearm 23 of the lever 22 which is adjacent the belt 18. The lever 22pivots about a point 40, and its other arm 25 disposed adjacent theposition of the Humpty Dumpty egg 10. The arm 25 normally is flush (FIG.2) with the top wall of the support 12 on which the egg 10 rests. Whenthe finger 20 actuates the arm 23 of the lever 22 (FIG. 4), the arm 25of the tilting lever 40 will engage the egg 10 and will thereby initiatethe displacement of the egg 10 off the support 12, so that the egg 10will then crash to the ground 41 and will break apart into a number ofpieces 42, 44 and 46 as shown in FIG. 5.

The egg 10 may have a flat bottom surface 27 for easy resting on the topwall of the support 12.

When the egg 10 falls to the ground it is knocked apart, but maythereafter easily be assembled and be placed again onto the support 12,to play the game over.

In addition, in order to enhance the value of the amusement device, theegg may receive on its interior a pair of dice. When the egg falls andbreaks apart, the dice will fall out and each will expose a number. Thesum of these numbers can be used in playing any social game.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The Humpty Dumpty egg 10is made up of a predetermined number of pieces 42, 44 and 46, that achild may very easily put together to make one unit. This egg 10 is thenplaced with its bottom surface 27 on the support 12 as shown in FIG. 1.The child will then turn the hand crank 24; by the cranking there willbe moved the belt 18 in the direction shown by the arrow 30, and thefingers 36 will produce with the tongues 38 a sequence of sounds, forinstance the well-known Humpty Dumpty nursery tune. At a predeterminedpoint of the tune, which may be at the point at which Humpty Dumpty hasa great fall, the over-size finger 20 trips the lever 22 which in turnpushes the egg 10, which is operative upon a slight predetermineddisplacement, to tumble olf the support 12. On the base 16 of thesupport 12, which houses the crank 22, there may be painted or moldedfigures of the kings horses and of the kings men 48.

It may be noted that while in the nursery rhyme all the kings horses andall the kings men couldnt put Humpty Dumpty" together again, the childcan put the three broken pieces 42, 44 and 46 of the egg 1!) easily backtogether again, and place it sitting on the wall (the support 12) toplay the game again.

I wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to theexact details of construction shown and described, for obviousmodifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tobe secured by Letters Patent is as follows:

1. In an amusement device, the combination of a support disposed abovethe ground, a knock-down figure normally positioned in assembled stateon said support, a two-armed lever tiltable on said support, one arm ofsaid lever supporting a portion of said figure from below and normallybeing weighted down by the weight of said portion, a second arm of saidlever projecting at an angle to said one arm, actuating means connectedto said support and including an endless movable member having a finger,said second arm protruding into the path of said finger, said fingerbeing operable when the endless movable member is moved to engage saidsecond arm thereby to tilt said one arm raising it against the weight ofsaid figure for displacing said figure off said support so that thefigure will crash to the ground to be knocked 3 apart, and meansactuatable for operating said actuating means.

2. In an amusement device, the combination of a support having a surfacedisposed above the ground, a knockdown figure normally positioned inassembled state on said surface, a two-armed lever tiltably'connected tosaid support and having one arm normally flush with said surface andretained in that position by the weight of at least a portion of saidfigure and by its own Weight and having a second arm at an angle to saidsurface, actuating means connected to said support and including anendless movable member having a finger, said second arm protruding intothe path of said finger, said finger 4 being operable when the endlessmovable member is moved to engage said second arm thereby to tilt saidone arm raising it against the Weight of said figure for displacing saidfigure off said surface so that the figure will crash to the ground tobe knocked apart, and means actuatable for operating said actuatingmeans.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,433,540 Wright Dec. 30, 1947 2,574,158 Sullivan Nov. 6, 1951 2,705,387Handler et al Apr. 5, 1955

